London Thatcher Talks Dexter: Original Sin, That Daring Swim And All Things Nicky.

London Thatcher is a theater kid. He is just bursting with ambition, intelligence, sweet humility, and a mental suitcase full of skills even most adults lack in this business. I had the pleasure of sitting down with him and his mother via Zoom for his first big project and his first-ever exclusive interview.

 

MAJOR SPOILER ALERT FOR DEXTER: ORIGINAL SIN’S SEASON FINALE BELOW. THIS TEXT HAS BEEN EDITED FOR LENGTH AND CLARITY.

 

HOW DID YOU PREPARE FOR THIS ROLE?

 

London Thatcher: I have an acting coach (Abby Valencia), and she was great for this audition because I hadn’t known at the time, but Dexter is a huge show! We ran over everything. I extensively prepared, read the lines over. And my two scenes were the Sonic the Hedgehog (handheld video game) scene, and when I get my finger cut off! A very intense scene.

 

WHAT WERE AUDITIONS LIKE? WAS IT IN PERSON OR SELF TAPE?

LT: It was a self tape, and I booked it straight from the tape. I had a producer session just to run over the water scene, just to make sure I’m okay with that. But I’m a great swimmer!

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST DAY ON SET LIKE?

LT: I got to my trailer and it was extremely surreal. I hadn’t done anything major like this before. Everyone was so nice to me. I got to meet the director (Michael Lehmann) and the producers and everything! Everyone was so welcoming.

WHAT WAS THE FIRST SCENE YOU SHOT?

LT: Episode nine when I was looking through the slot at my dad. Straight of the last!

 

WHO WAS THE FUNNIEST ONE ON SET?

LT: There were a couple. But I have to say Reno Wilson (Bobby Watt) was was hilarious. So nice. That’s a great guy and he’s so sweet.

I KNOW THE CAST IS ABSOLUTELY LOVELY, BUT WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO HAVE PATRICK DEMPSEY AS YOUR FATHER?

LT: Every time I reference him or I tell people that he was my dad, everyone says McDreamy. I hadn’t seen Grey’s Anatomy, but everyone is basically, Oh my god, McDreamy is your dad? I get a lot of that from parents.

 

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WAS IT EASY TO ADAPT FROM STAGE TO SCREEN?

LT: I hadn’t done any print or commercials before, or any TV, so I had that type of sing songy voice whenever I spoke my lines. My acting coach immediately got me out of it in a couple of sessions. With her help, it was easier than I expected.

 

KH: I know it’s! I’m a theater girl too. It’s so different. You’re taught to yell at the back of the rafters, but have to be more subtle on screen.

LT: Like the hands and the expression!

KH: Yes!

 

WHAT IS IT LIKE HAVING A FANBASE WITHIN SOCIAL MEDIA FOR SUCH A POPULAR FRANCHISE?

 

LT: I honestly didn’t really think Nicky was a big role until I read the script. And, oh, wow, he has a couple of scenes. And then I’m seeing the posts on Reddit etc.

“I hope Nicky doesn’t die! And things like that. It’s crazy! I didn’t even think anyone would be focused on me at all!”

DID YOU WORK WITH ANY OF THE OTHER KIDS BEFORE? OR WAS IT LIKE A DEXTER’S KIDS CLUB?

LT: It was our first time we all interacted in the school room. Because young Brian (Xander Mateo) and little Dexter (Eli Sherman) didn’t have any scenes with me so it was mostly all the school room. But everyone was so nice, all the kids were great!

 

DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING SPECIAL TO GET INTO THE CHARACTER OF NICKY?

 

I relate to him and read everything. One of the funny things was that I knew his initials were NAS and Michael Lehmann asked me to get into my character. He asked what do you think his middle name is? And I immediately responded with Aaron . It was thought through, that is my dad!

 

AND NICKY HAD NO IDEA WHO HIS REAL FATHER WAS? THAT MUST HAVE BEEN SHOCKING.

Personally, I didn’t think that Nicky possibly knew about his mom’s history with Nelson. There was no mention of it and he had his heart set on it. He just thought it was Aaron.

 

HOW COLD WAS THAT WATER?

LT: It was 90 degrees. I was warm and comfortable!They had made sure to warm it and it was pretty cool. It could fill up in 30 seconds, I think, or about a minute. It could go up to like, 12 feet in a minute, and then drain in 30 seconds. So if anything had gone wrong, they had a diving team. They had a bunch of people watching me. I had to be lowered in there with a harness, even though it wasn’t small ladder.

 

[EXTENDED NOT AIRED TEAM TECH TEXT]

 

LT Team: It took the construction crew 6 weeks to build and perfect the 2 story tank (they built it on a sound stage). It could fill with 14′ of water within 30 seconds and could drain within 30 seconds. They made the water look like it was rushing in but the pressure wasn’t as intense as it appears.

 

There was a diving team, stunt coordinator and stunt doubles all in the tank as well. The sequence took 4 days – 2 days of rehearsals and 2 days of filming. It was the talk of the season.

 

“EVERYONE was buzzing around the set for months about “Have you seen THE TANK?!” Molly Brown (Debra Morgan) even came in on her day off to watch them film in it because everyone was so blown away with it!”

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FOOD AT CRAFT SERVICES?

LT: Every night was a theme! You didn’t know if you were going to walk into a little Italy situation or a Mexican fiesta. All of the food was incredible. They had a little van off to the side with desserts, and that was probably my favorite. Just go in there, every type of ice cream bar in there!

 

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE SCENE TO SHOOT?

LT: I gotta’ [sic] say the water scene. I’ve been looking forward to that ever since day one. I knew it was going to be a couple of months since I started in August with my first scene. Whereas, in November there was the next one.

I’m looking forward to that scene and it did not disappoint! t did not disappoint.

 

LT: I was happy! As a viewer, I would have been happy for him too. He’s just this kid who gets thrown into this situation, and you don’t know if he’ll come back in season two!

KH: That was my next question!

 

HOW IS NICKY GOING TO BE GOING FORWARD? IS HE GOING TO HAVE A DARK PASSENGER LIKE BINEY AND DEXTER? OR IS HIS SUPPORT SYSTEM STRONG ENOUGH TO GET HIM THROUGH?

 

LT: I think his parents and his friends would probably help him through it all. He is such a sweet kid. I don’t think he’s gonna’ [sic] possess something like that and the entire police station would help him out. They would probably put him in witness protection or something, and his mom and his stepdad would definitely be there for him.

 

AND SEASON 2 NICKY?

LT: I would hope to see him more in the show and maybe Dexter takes him under his wing. A big brother situation, help him out because of all of Dexter’s trauma and his love of kids.

 

DO YOU WANT TO DO BROADWAY?

KH: You would be the best Dodger from Oliver!

LT: My mom and I were actually just talking about it couple of days ago! I was telling her how I miss theater. Broadway is definitely an option! I’ve still the love of theater!

KH: I want to see more of that!

WHO DO YOU WANT TO WORK WITH IN THE FUTURE?

LT: I love Tom Holland. I’ve seen all the Spider Man movies and I love his work there. Tom Hanks definitely. I’ve seenall of his movies. Okay, not all, he’s been in a lot.

DID YOU GET TO KEEP ANYTHING FROM SET?

LT: I got to keep the Angel of Mercy hospital bracelet I wore in episode 10 and Clyde Phillips gifted us all Dexter jackets as wrap gifts which was really cool!

WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU?

LT: I have a few auditions right now. The industry seems a little slow, so hopefully it picks up soon. I would love to see Original Sin renewed for another season and have Nicky be a part of it. His storyline wasn’t closed off in season one, so there is room for the writers to get creative with it!

 

PARTING WORDS.

RECENTLY SHOW RUNNER CLYDE PHILLIPS MENTIONED THAT ORIGINAL SIN WAS NOT JUST SUPPOSED TO BE ONE SEASON, SO? WE’LL SEE YOU SEASON TWO!

 

YOU CAN WATCH DEXTER: ORIGINAL SIN’S EPISODE 10 FINALE ON PARAMOUNT+/SHOWTIME EVERYWHERE NOW.

 

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About the author: Katie Harden is a professionally repped New York-based/bi-coastal musical theater, entertainment journalist, and indie film actress. She is proudly part of the Actor’s Equity Association and frequently interviews colleagues, friends, and celebrities, along with reviewing television and movies. Find her at the bottom of a can of Arizona sweet tea or in the ocean!

Work: AMC, Tribeca, Showtime, HBO, The Emmy’s, The Walking Dead magazine, MGM, Universal, Sony Screen Gems, 492 Elm, Bloody Disgusting, and more.

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